With a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, a dye-image derived from a coupler is required not to discolor or fade even if exposed to light for a prolonged period or stored under a high temperature and humidity.
It is known, however, that such dye-images do not yet have satisfactory color fastness to mainly ultraviolet and visible rays, and that they readily discolor or fade if subjected to these active rays. Conventional measures taken to eliminate this disadvantage include a selective use of couplers less likely to discolor, a use of ultraviolet absorbents to protect dye-images from ultraviolet rays, a use of anti-fading agents to prevent color fading due to light, and introduction of a group into couplers for fastness to light.
However, there are limits, for example, to the effect of ultraviolet absorbent; relatively large quantities of ultraviolet absorbents are required to provide satisfactory levels of light-fastness of dye-images, as a result, dye-images are often stained due to the coloring of absorbents. Also, ultraviolet absorbents never prevent visible rays from discoloring dye-images. Some methods are known to use or dye-image anti-fading agents which have phenolic hydroxy/groups or groups being capable of hydrolyzing to produce phenolic hydroxyl groups. The use of phenols and bisphenols is proposed in Japanses Patent Examined Publication No. 31256/1973, No. 31625/1973, No. 30462/1976, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter refered to as Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication) No. 134326/1974, and No. 134327/1974; the use of pyrogallols, gallic acids and esters thereof in U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,262; the use of .alpha.-tocopherols and acyl derivatives thereof in U.S. Pat. No. 2,360,290 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,990; the use of hydroquinone derivertives in Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 27534/1977, Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 14751/1977, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,735,765; the use of 6-hydroxychromans in U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,300 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,627; the use of 5-hydroxycoumarin derivertives in U.S. Patent; the use of 6,6'-dihydroxy-2,2'bisspirochromans in Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 20977/1974. Also, a certain type of p-aminophenol derivertive is mentioned in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 6321/1980. Some of these compounds do prevent color-fading or discoloring, but only to a low degree. some of them turn hues into thereof lower frequencies, generate yellow-stain, and degrade dye forming of couplers.